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Corruption

A Georgia head narc gets popped for drunk driving, a Detroit cop is in trouble for ripping off "Scarface" memorabilia during a drug raid, a San Francisco sergeant heads to prison for ripping off drug dealers, and a couple of California prison guards go down. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:left]In Detroit, a Detroit Police Special Operations officer was arrested last Friday on charges he stole a shadow box with a photograph of Al Pacino and memorabilia from the movie "Scarface" during a drug raid. The unnamed officer was part of a Special Operations team assigned to provide security for a team that raided the residence. He has been suspended.

In San Francisco, a former San Francisco police sergeant was sentenced Monday to 41 months in federal prison for his part in a scheme to rip-off property and thousands of dollars from suspected drug dealers. Ian Furminger had been convicted of four charges in the case, which involved a conspiracy with other officers to steal the items.

In Fresno, California, a former state prison guard was sentenced Tuesday to 2 ½ years in prison for smuggling cash, alcohol, cell phones, and drugs into the Taft Correctional Institution. Ramon Cano, 28, was paid for his smuggling efforts, authorities said.

In Lancaster, California, a former state prison guard was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison on charges he smuggled drugs and other contraband in to prisoners. Andre Pierre Scott had pleaded no contest to the charges. Authorities say he was a member of a Pasadena street gang and smuggled heroin, marijuana, cell phones, and other contraband. He had worked for the corrections department for a decade.

An Arizona narc gets caught sleeping with the enemy, a Hawaii prison guard goes away for smuggling contraband to gang members, and an Illinois police dispatcher is in trouble for snatching pain pills. Just another week in the drug war. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:right]In White Hall, Illinois, a White Hall police dispatcher pleaded guilty last Wednesday to stealing prescription opiates from the White Hall Police Department evidence room. Amanda Morrow, 29, had been arrested in June along with another dispatcher and a Roodhouse police officer, who was charged with distributing a controlled substance. She was sentenced to two years' probation and a $1350 fine.

In Phoenix, a former Tempe undercover narcotics officer was sentenced last Wednesday to probation after being caught having sex with a man who was the target of an undercover drug investigation and telling him he was being investigated. Jessica Dever-Jakusz was sentenced to 18 months' probation. Dever-Jakusz was working undercover with other Tempe narcotics detectives targeting downtown restaurants and bars. Police said her revelations to the suspect scuttled a five-month investigation.

In Honolulu, a former state prison guard was sentenced last Friday to nearly nine years in federal prison for delivering drugs to gang members inside the prison. Feso Malufau, 55, was found guilty of racketeering and conspiring to obtain and distribute meth into the Halawa Correctional Facility. Prosecutors said Malufau was paid thousands of dollars to smuggle meth, cigarettes, and other contraband to USO gang members.

A suburban Philly cop is under suspicion in a case of missing drug evidence, a former Philly cop who worked with a dealer to rip off other dealers is heading to prison, and so is a former Virginia cop and DEA task force member who used his position to gain sexual favors. Let's get to it:

In Philadelphia, a former Philadelphia police officer pleaded guilty last Friday to conspiring with drug dealers to steal money and drugs from other dealers. Christopher Saravello, 37, admitted working with South Philly drug dealer Robert Nagy in committing between 10 and 20 robberies, as well as three more robberies with two other dealers. The dealers would set up a drug buy, then Saravello would show up in uniform and pretend to bust the deal. He allegedly scored at least $9,800 in cash from the scheme. He resigned from the force in 2012, when the department discovered he was strung out on pain pills. He's now looking at up to 120 years in federal prison.

In Roanoke, Virginia, a former Salem police officer and DEA task force member was sentenced Tuesday to 2 ½ years in federal prison for soliciting and receiving sexual favors from defendants in return for agreeing to recommend leniency for them. Kevin Moore, 42, admitted that while he served as a DEA task force officer, he told a female meth defendant he could get her a lighter sentence if she performed a sex act on him. She did. He also admitted doing the same thing with two other female defendants in federal drug investigations dating back to 2009. In those cases, he admitted lying to the women, saying he had already convinced prosecutors not to charge them with crimes that would carry a heavy prison sentence. He had not.

What a busy week! Jail guards get arrested all over the place, an Illinois narcotics unit commander gets busted for drunk driving, a Seattle cop gets investigated for stealing weed, a Texas cop gets popped for selling fake weed at his store, a dirty Philadelphia cop heads for prison, and more. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:right]In Seattle, a Seattle police officer was being investigated Saturday for allegedly stealing marijuana from the evidence room to use with her lesbian lover. Officer Cynthia Whitlatch came under scrutiny after arresting an elderly black man for carrying a golf club that he used as a cane (and had done so for years). In the wake of publicity around that incident, a woman came forward to say she was Whitlatch's ex-girlfriend and that the two had smoked the marijuana at home after Whitlatch stole it in the spring of 2005.

In Raymondville, Texas, an Edinburg police officer was arrested last Monday for selling synthetic marijuana at his Raymondville store. Officer Michael Anthony Moreno, 32, was arrested after officers found 21 pounds of the fake pot at his store. Police acted on a citizen's complaint that he was selling the stuff. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone and delivery of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone. He has been suspended without pay.

In Jackson, Mississippi, a Jackson Detention Center guard was arrested last Thursday on charges he tried to smuggle contraband into the jail. Anthony Ware, 30, went down after arriving at work with "a strong odor" and was subsequently searched. Guards found marijuana, amphetamines and other controlled substances on him, as well as cigarettes and condoms. He is charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of amphetamines and other controlled substances with the intent to distribute and the introduction of contraband into a correctional facility.

In Crown Point, Illinois, the head of the Lake County Sheriff's Department drug unit was arrested Sunday after he struck two cars on Main Street and then left the scene. Commander David Britton, 46, was busted with a blood alcohol content of 0.24%, three times the legal limit. He was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed in snowy conditions when he attempted to pass a car, but instead struck it. He then hit the front side of another car waiting at a traffic light. He then drove away, but was arrested nearby.

In Plainfield, Indiana, a Plainfield jail guard was arrested Monday on charges he smuggled drugs to an inmate. Ryan Daniels, 22, went down after investigators received a tip that he would be bringing heroin and tobacco into the jail. During an interview, he admitted smuggling drugs into the jail and produced a package he had taped between his legs. It contained marijuana, synthetic marijuana, and heroin. He is charged with trafficking with an inmate and dealing in a synthetic drug.

In Denver, a former Walsenburg police officer was sentenced last Wednesday to five years in federal prison for helping hide her ex-husband's stash of cash and heroin after he was arrested by police in Pueblo. Gloria Suazo pleaded guilty to charges of aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute heroin. She still faces unrelated charges of selling crack cocaine in Pueblo.

In Philadelphia, a former narcotics officer was sentenced last Wednesday to more than 17 years in federal prison for stealing money and selling drugs in and out of uniform. Jonathan Garcia, 24, stole more than $4,000 from drug suspects, then filed fake paperwork to hide his activities. He and his partner, Sydemy Joanis, ripped off at least five drug dealers between April 2010 and June 2012. He was also selling heroin, including while he was on duty and sometimes right across the street from the 17th Police District Headquarters.

In Honolulu, a Coast Guard officer was convicted and sentenced last Thursday to three years in the brig for a variety of drug and other offenses. Ensign Johnson Cox was found guilty of possession and distribution of multiple controlled substances, cruelty and maltreatment toward a subordinate, assault, absence without leave, failure to obey an order and dereliction of duty.

In San Diego, two married San Diego police officers were sentenced last Friday to three years in state prison after being convicted of drug and burglary charges. Bryce Charpentier, 32, and his wife Jennifer, 41, pleaded guilty to distributing drugs, stealing prescription medications from Jennifer's mother, and burglarizing a home while on duty.

[image:1 align:right]In New York City, two NYPD narcotics officers are being investigated for allegedly assaulting a former Marine sergeant. The veteran, Omar Rendon, said in a lawsuit filed Monday that he was eating lunch and watching a movie on his phone while sitting in his vehicle when two plainclothes narcs rousted him, demanding he get out of his car. When he asked for their badges, they violently yanked him out of the car and punched him. He was then searched and handcuffed, but no charges were filed after nothing turned up.

In Ogden, Utah, a former Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force agent was arrested last Friday on charges he twice solicited a woman to hire a man to purchase oxycodone for him. Don Henry Johnson, 29, went down after he promised to pay the woman, but failed to come through. She then reported what happened to authorities. He is now charged with two counts of second-degree felony drug distribution, and is looking at up to 15 years on each count.

A veteran cop gets caught with his hands in the cookie jar, jail guards go wild, and two different ex-cops go to prison for growing marijuana. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:left]In Prescott Valley, Arizona, a Prescott Valley police commander resigned last Friday as he was being investigated for stealing prescription drugs that had been turned in by the public. Commander Arthur Askew is accused of stealing pills from the drug storage fault in the evidence room, and police had video of him doing it. The department has asked local prosecutors to conduct a criminal review of the case.

In East Madison, Maine, a Somerset County Jail guard was arrested last Friday after an investigation into contraband at the jail. Alexender Jordon, 21, went down after a search warrant executed at his home turned up evidence he had supplied Suboxone strips to one inmate and tobacco products to two others. He is charged with trafficking Suboxone, a felony, and trafficking tobacco, a misdemeanor. At last report, Jordon was residing at his former place of employment.

In Michigan City, Indiana, an Indiana state prison guard was arrested last Saturday after he aroused suspicions during a routine shakedown as he arrived at work. Officer Gordon Dennis's car was then searched, and investigators found two cell phones, a cell phone watch, and a substance that appeared to be synthetic marijuana. He is charged with attempting to traffic with an offender. At last report, he was in the LaPorte County Jail.

In Lutz, Florida, a former Florida state prison guard was arrested Tuesday on charges he allowed inmates on outside work crews to drink, use drugs, and have "conjugal visits in the woods" with prostitutes. Henry Blackwelder went down after one of his favored inmates escaped. Blackwelder didn't report the escape for three hours, but investigators still found empty cans of margarita drinks and malt liquor and empty packages of synthetic marijuana, as well as a blanket used for hook-ups. Blackwelder resigned after the escape, but it later emerged that he was using his work crews and a pair of strippers to smuggle the contraband into the prison. He now faces charges of official misconduct, unlawful compensation for official behavior and smuggling contraband into a state correctional facility. He was released on bail Wednesday.

In Buffalo, New York, a former Buffalo police officer was sentenced last Wednesday to five years in federal prison for running a marijuana-growing operation while he was an officer. Jorge Melendez oversaw a pot-growing operation of more than a thousand plants and sometimes visited it while in uniform. Prosecutors said he made about $80,000 in the two years the grow was in operation, and he agreed to forfeit a Chevy Suburban, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a speedboat, and seven firearms. He had copped to one count of conspiracy to grow more than 99 marijuana plants.

In Hagatna, Guam, a former Guam police officer was sentenced last Thursday to eight years in prison for growing marijuana while employed as a cop. Roy Pablo had been arrested as part of an investigation into a grow ring in November 2013 and was convicted on cultivation charges in October.

A Massachusetts prosecutor swaps info for pain pills, more jail guards get in trouble, a Georgia cop gets busted for slinging Ecstasy, a San Antonio cop get nailed for stealing cash and weed from a couple, and more. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:right]In Americus, Georgia, a Sumter County jail guard was arrested January 2 for allegedly smuggling liquor, drugs, and weapons into the jail. Sgt. Anthony Bernard Walker, 49, is charged with violation of oath by public officer and giving inmates contraband without consent of the warden. He's now on paid suspension.

In Savannah, Georgia, a former Savannah-Chatham police officer was arrested last Tuesday on charges he was involved in an Ecstasy distribution ring. Derrick Andre Fullmer pleaded not guilty in federal court to conspiracy to possess and distribute Ecstasy. He is accused of being active in the ring while an officer in the department. He resigned in April while under investigation. At last report, he was being held on $25,000 bond. He's looking at up to 20 years in federal prison.

In Boston, a Middlesex Assistant DA was arrested last Thursday on charges he gave confidential information from his office in return for oxycodone. Stephen Gilpatric, 35, is accused of leaking a probation report, police reports, a photograph, and other identifying information about a man in exchange for the pills. He is also accused of accepting a $1500 bribe to help a woman get her son's commercial drivers' license reinstated. He is charged with unlawfully communicating criminal offender record information, receiving unlawful compensation, and unlawful gratuity. Prosecutors said Gilpatric was spending hundreds of dollars a week on his pill habit at the time of the events in 2011.

In San Antonio, a San Antonio police officer was arrested last Friday on charges he stole marijuana, thousands of dollars, and a rifle from a couple during a disturbance call. Officer Konrad Chatys, 32, was dispatched to a reported disturbance involving a man and a woman on New Year's Eve, and the couple reported that he took the cash, gun, and drugs before releasing them. A search of Chatys' home resulted in an arrest warrant for him. He is now on administrative leave.

In Lexington, Kentucky, a Blackburn County jail guard was arrested Monday for allegedly bringing small amounts of marijuana into the Blackburn Correctional Complex. David Michael Bailey, 26, went down in a random search when officers found weed, cell phones, and two pieces of paper with phone numbers on them in his lunch box. He is charged with promoting contraband.

In Titusville, Florida, a former Titusville police officer was convicted Wednesday of taking a bribe to be a look-out for what he thought were drug traffickers. Richard Irizarry, 45, had been arrested in March after a DEA sting. He had befriended a man who turned out to be a DEA informant and had offered to go into business with him dealing drugs. He was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute more than one kilo of cocaine and using a cell phone to commit a drug trafficking offense. He's looking at up to 40 years in federal prison.

In Buffalo, New York, a former Erie County sheriff's deputy was sentenced Tuesday to three months in jail for smuggling an ounce of weed and a cell phone into a county detention facility in August. Charles Hunt, Jr., 49, also admitted smuggling drugs into the jail on two other occasions in exchange for cash. A second former deputy, Eric Stevens, 33, was also arrested at the same time on the same charges. His case goes to court next month.

A high-ranking DEA agent in Mexico is in trouble, so is a former North Carolina SBI narc, an Alabama police officer and a West Virginia jail guard. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:right]In Washington, DC, the DEA's resident agent in charge in northeastern Mexico was arraigned last month on charges he took reimbursements for doing "favors" on behalf of unnamed Mexican nationals. Agent Leonardo Silva is accused of abusing his position by advising the State Department to cancel the US visa of a Mexican national at the behest of a friend. Silva allegedly falsely said the woman was a cocaine user and trafficker, and then bragged about it. He is also accused of taking nearly a hundred private plane trips that he didn't pay for or report, as well as taking a $3,000 payment for obtaining a job for the son of a US consulate worker. He is charged with fraud and making false statements.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, a former State Bureau of Investigation narcotics agent was arrested early last month on federal charges he was involved in a major cross-country marijuana trafficking conspiracy. Fredrick Tucker is accused of transporting more than a thousand of pounds of marijuana from California to North Carolina via South Dakota, where he now lives, in a conspiracy with his son Ryan. Tucker had resigned his SBI position "while under investigation for improprieties." He is now charged with conspiracy to traffic more than 50 kilos of marijuana and money laundering. He's in jail in Charlotte pending a March court date.

In Birmingham, Alabama, a Huntsville police officer was arrested last Tuesday on charges he conspired to make cocaine trafficking charges against a person go away. Officer Lewis Hall, 45, allegedly conspired with another person to pay another police officer $5,000 to claim a search he made that resulted in a drug trafficking arrest was unlawful. The officer who they hoped would help make the charges vanish instead turned them in. Hall faces charges of conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to investigators.

In Exxon, West Virginia, a Western Regional Jail guard was arrested last Wednesday carrying 74 grams of marijuana. Preston Chase Thacker, 20, is charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. It's not clear whether the weed was destined for the jail or not.

Seattle's city attorney wants a place for marijuana users to congregate, California activists start moving toward 2016, Dr. David Nutt criticizes British Ecstasy policy, Iran starts the New Year with a bakers' dozen drug executions, and more. Let's get to it:

[image:1 align:left caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Seattle City Attorney Wants Marijuana Vapor Lounges. In a new memo on marijuana policy, City Attorney Peter Holmes is calling for the legalization of pot vapor lounges in the city. "Single family homeowners have a legal place to consume marijuana; others however, such as out-of-town visitors, the homeless, and renters and condominium owners whose buildings do not permit marijuana use, have fewer options," he noted in the memo. "You can enforce that law much better if you, at the same time, provide an outlet for that demand," Holmes said. The lounges would be open only to those 21 and over, require customers to bring their own weed, and would only allow vaping, not smoking. Such a move would require the approval of the city council and the city health department.

Iowa Pharmacy Board Votes to Reschedule CBD, But Not Marijuana. The state Board of Pharmacy voted Monday to move cannabidiol (CBD) from Schedule I to Schedule II, but not marijuana. The board was acting on a petition from long-time activist Carl Olsen, who sought to have the whole plant rescheduled. But the board wasn't ready to do that. Olsen says while it isn't what he was asking for, it is a step in the right direction.

Sentencing

Washington State Defelonization Bill to Get Hearing. A bill that would make simple drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony will get a public hearing in the House Public Safety Committee on January 16. The bill is House Bill 1024, introduced by Rep. Sherry Appleton (D-Poulsbo), and is estimated to save the state millions in incarceration costs each year if passed. Fourteen other states have defelonized drug possession, with California being the most recent. Voters there approved a defelonization initiative in November.

Law Enforcement

Rolling Stone Exposé on Crooked Texas Border Drug Task Force. Rolling Stone has published an in-depth look at a South Texas drug task force, the infamous "Panama Unit" of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office and the Mission Police Department. The extent of the thievery and corruption is mind-blowing. Well worth the read.

International

"Illogical and Punitive Drug Policy" to Blame for British Ecstasy Deaths, Prominent Critic Says. Dr. David Nutt, the former head of the Advisory Commission on the Misuse of Drugs who was fired for failing to toe the government's hard line of drug policy, has blamed that hard-line policy for the drug overdose deaths of four men in the past few days. The men thought they were taking Ecstasy, but a British government crackdown on the drug has led to it being substituted by a more lethal substance, PMA. That's the "illogical and punitive drug policy," Nutt was referencing. "The emergence of the more toxic PMA following the so-called ‘success’ in reducing MDMA production is just one of many examples of how prohibition of one drug leads to greater harm from an alternative that is developed to overcome the block," he added.

Mexican Army Kills Nine Civilians in Cartel-Plagued Michoacan. Nine civilians have been killed by Mexican soldiers in the town of Apatzigan, Michoacan, after the army tried to take control of city hall, which had been held for days by armed civilians. It's not clear who exactly was involved, but the western Mexican state has been plagued for years by violent drug trafficking organizations, and more recently, by armed vigilantes fighting the cartels.

Iran Greets New Year By Hanging 13 Drug Offenders. New Year's Day saw 13 drug offenders hanged in Iranian prisons, including four women. All had been convicted of drug trafficking. Iran hanged hundreds of drug traffickers last year, and it looks like it's off to a quick start this year, too.